Personal Injury FAQ

DO I NEED A LAWYER?
You are not required to have a lawyer but our system of justice is structured in a manner that you cannot get a reasonable settlement without one. Insurance companies always offer far less than a case is worth. The insurance adjusters are trained to act like your friend. His/her job is to develop a sense of trust between you and them so that you feel that the adjuster is working for you. This is not true. Adjusters are graded on how many cases they settle below reasonable value. It’s a lopsided battle that you may lose without a lawyer.

WHAT KINDS OF CASES DO YOU HANDLE?
We handle all kinds of personal injury cases. Every personal injury case regardless of the kind has the same two elements:

Is the other party at fault
What are the client’s damages?
Naturally we handle a large volume of automobile accident cases as that is the single most kind of personal injury cases there are. But we also handle our share of motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian cases, not counting dog bites and slip and fall, product liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. Again, all cases are about fault and damages. A very good lawyer knows how to prove fault and maximize damages in any kind of case.

Other types of cases we handle include:

• Truck Accidents
• Insurance Claims
• Dog Attacks & Bites
• Oil Field & Off-Shore Injuries
• Refinery & Construction Injuries
• Burns & Explosions
• On-the-Job Injuries
• Premises Liability
• Negligence
• Shipping & Boating Accidents
• Drowning Accidents
• Railroad Accidents
• Business Litigation

WHEN SHOULD I SETTLE MY CASE?
As a standard rule, we advise our clients not to settle their case until a reasonable time after they are released from their doctor and are doing all the activities they did prior to the accident. We recommend this because doctors are optimists by nature and most clients without major and life-threatening injuries do get better. However, in a fair number of cases, the client is not as good as new and still has problems. If your case is settled before you know the full nature and extent of your injuries, you will be shortchanged on the amount of your settlement as you are not able to reopen a case once it’s settled.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF MY CASE?
The value of your case is determined by the nature and extent of your loss. Unfortunately, the greater your loss, the greater the value of your case. The cases that settle for the most money are the ones with very bad injuries, large medical bills and large wage loss. In reality, it is almost impossible to get a large settlement without a very experienced lawyer who has a track record and is not afraid to spend the time, effort, and, if necessary, money for the proper preparation for settlement to go to court. Most very large cases are not settled for full value unless they are filed.

WHAT WILL A LAWYER COST ME?
Our firm, like most personal injury firms, charges a contingent fee. If we don’t collect, we don’t get paid. We charge 33-1/3% fee unless your case actually goes to trial. We do not increase our fee when we file your case because we know that many cases must be filed to get what they are worth: many insurance companies make low-ball offers and will stick with it unless the case is filed. We refuse to be pushed around by the insurance companies. Although we file many of our client’s cases, 95% of our fees are 33-1/3% because the cases are settled without trial. We earn every cent of our contingent fee through our expertise, hard work, and results. If you want to talk further about our fees you can us at (726) 666-6666

WHY SHOULD I HIRE WELMAKER INJURY LAW?
Our law firm has the reputation for fair settlements and not being afraid to go to court. We have settled cases, big and small. We believe that no matter what the value of your case, you will have an experienced law firm that gets results and holds the guilty party accountable. We work on giving you peace of mind and obtain the recovery you deserve. You will get straight talk with no bull. We will always tell you what you need to know and not just what you want to hear.